Of Ice Bags and Pine Trees
by RGZ Archer
Summary: Sometimes things happen for no reason, they simply happen because of chance or circumstance. Other times...that's not quite the case. A collection of stories focused on the tiny details that 'could be'. Wendipper/Wipper


Yeah yeah, I know, I have a huge mountain of work that I SHOULD be doing, but its been so long since I wrote anything that I figured it would be best for me to try and get back into the game with something small and simple. I havent given up on my other projects, time just isnt something I have a great deal of anymore, and I want to get some practice in before diving back into my more serious pieces. This is my little contribution to a community that I've come to enjoy a great deal and getting my feet wet for the whole writing gig again.

This story takes place after Gideon Rises but before 'Into The Bunker'. Anyways, the focus of this story is a tiny detail that I noticed from Dreamscaperers. It could be nothing, or it could be something, its hard to tell whats on purpose and whats not given how complex the series is.

Hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think of this. It might be a one shot, or it might become a series of one shots, I don't know yet.

I do not own Gravity Falls or its characters. It is the property of Disney and Alex Hirsch. I'm just adding a little something for my own entertainment and for the Wendy/Dipper fans out there.

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><p>Setting the axe he had been using against the back yards lone tree stump, Dipper wiped his brow and groaned in discomfort as he arched his back and twisted his neck.<p>

Ignoring the snaps and pops of his bones and joints, the young boy looked at the impressive rows of wood stacked before him with an air of confidence.

Then looked at the less than impressive pile of wood he'd split from said rows sagging in despair.

His arms felt like they were on fire, his back like it was made of stone, and he honestly wasnt sure if he'd ever regain feeling in his legs again. Clenching his hands into fists he whimpered when he felt the stinging pain of blisters protesting the action.

If someone asked him if he enjoyed spending his Sunday afternoon chopping wood for his great uncle, he'd give a sarcastic or witty retort depending on how tired he was and who asked him. At the same time it was far from his least favorite chore, at least now that he understood just why Stan had him doing it on a bright and sunny _ninety_ _degree_ summer day. The young detective knew it was simply his Grunkle Stan trying to help make him stronger and toughen him up.

Gazing back at the pile of split wood lying around the stump, he gave a small smirk at his accomplishment. Sure it was meager in size and paled in comparison to what he had left, but not so long ago it had taken everything he had just to split _one_ piece of wood with _several_ swings. Now he was managing to split them with just one or two each. Even if he was exhausted and hurting from head to toe, he was getting stronger, he could feel it.

When he wasnt paying too much attention to the screaming aching pain his body was in at least.

Squating and standing to get blood flowing back into his feet and legs, he did a few more stretches before placing the next wood block onto the stump to split and hefting up the ancient tool for another swing.

Swinging with everything he could muster, he smiled at the resulting 'thunk' of the axe head burying itself into the stump as the block split in half to each side.

"You're going to pull your back if you keep swinging it like that," a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Gah!"

The tween released the buried axe and turned on his heels. Growing up with a prank loving sister, and spending several weeks dealing with other worldly menaces had granted him reflexes that most professional athletes would envy.

Ready for whatever or whoever had snuck up on him, it only took a moment for his scowling and cautious face to melt into a nervous smile at the sight before him. A tall, thin and lanky body that towered over his like a small mountain with copper red hair, warm green eyes and a lazy smile.

"H-hey Wendy!"

Mentally kicking himself for shouting when his crush was standing only feet away, he swallowed and looked away.

"So w-what brings you out here? I thought you'd be hanging out with your friends."

While he was always happy to see his ginger crush around, the only time he had ever seen her on a weekend had been during his brief stint as an assistant lifeguard at the Gravity Falls community pool. She was nearly religious when it came to exactly how much time she spent at the Mystery Shack, never arriving too early and never staying behind too long unless she had to. To see her on a Sunday afternoon was like seeing a unicorn.

Though given enough time, he was sure that he'd end up seeing more of the latter than the former.

With her thumb pointing back over her shoulder towards the Mystery Shack Wendy frowned. "Stan 'forgot' to pay me Friday and said if I wanted my paycheck for last week I had to come pick it up today."

Eyebrows drawn up in confusions, the tween glanced past his friend to the Mystery Shack before returning his attention to her.

"Last weeks? Shouldnt it be this weeks?"

The teen raised an eyebrow before understanding dawned on her. With a smirk she chuckled before flashing her usual lazy grin at the boy.

"I keep forgetting that you're only twelve, so you probably havent had a job yet," she started before leaning against one of the stacks of wood. Her expression was one that Dipper could only describe as wistful, but there seemed to be a little more to it than that.

"You get an allowance right?" Seeing the boy nod she continued. "Well a paycheck is kinda like that, but you don't get paid for what you did that week, you get paid for what you did the week before. After a few weeks though you don't even notice...well, depending on the boss," she added with just a hint of annoyance before shifting her attention to the stump embedded axe, then back to the boy before her curiously.

"What exactly are _you_ doing out here? Other than trying to muscle me out of my winter job," she said nodding towards the small pile of split wood at either side of the stump.

Though her tone was one of obvious teasing, the young boy took it as serious and started to panic at the thought of doing such a thing.

"Job? This is yours! I-I didn't know! I swear-" before his meltdown reached critical mass he was brought to a halt by the familiar (and always welcome) sound of his crush laughing.

"G-god Dipper, take it-take it easy, I was just messing with you," she managed between laughs as she wiped a tear from her eye. "You really need to learn how to relax a little, you know that?" Smiling at his embarrassment, she decided to show him a little mercy and nodded towards the piles of split wood once more. "But seriously, why are you out here splitting wood? Doesnt really seem like your kind of thing."

At first he took her comment as another joke, thinking that she was teasing him again. That notion died quickly however when he saw the genuine curiosity in her eyes and he realized she was referring to how he constantly had his nose buried in the Journal when he wasnt working.

Averting his eyes from her ever so slightly he coughed into his hand and tried to act as casual as he could, trying to keep his calm despite his heart hammering and his emotions running around in a blind panic. Deciding to keep things simple, he went for the truth.

"I-it's actually for my allowance. Grunkle Stan doesn't pay us for working, something about not wanting to end up in prison again because of child labor laws? So he gives us stuff to do around the Mystery Shack on weekends. Sweeping, dusting, cleaning out the gutters, chopping wood," he paused when he noticed the ginger looking around the yard before returning her attention to him.

"Shouldnt your sister be out here too?"

Looking away and scratching his arm, Dipper spoke up. "Actually, no. We have different chores. Those are mine."

"So, Mabel..."

"Gets her allowance by _not_ working. Stan said its cheaper to pay her for doing nothing than to pay her for 'helping' me and fixing or replacing everything she broke or damaged." Frowning he added "I'm still not sure if she did that on purpose or not..."

Wendy's mind latched onto the thought of being paid **not** to work, but just as quickly discarded it, figuring that Mabel was only getting such treatment because she was family.

Still, the idea was an attractive one.

Pushing the idea aside, the teen looked around the yard a second time and felt her laid back expression drop to a frown. There was _nobody_ else around, not a soul.

"Are you always out here by yourself like this?" she asked gesturing towards the axe with a concerned look on her face. Even if he wasnt cutting down trees or using anything but an old axe, it wasnt right for him to be alone splitting wood. There were a hundred different things that could happen, and she had seen most of them growing up. She didn't see anything wrong personally with someone his age handling an axe or chopping wood, she had been since she was a lot younger than he was. But at the same time, her father was always there, even now when she or one of her brothers were splitting.

Dipper was confused for a moment and looked around, noticing only now that Stan was no longer in his usual chain watching from the porch.

"Huh, that's wierd, he was there a few minutes ago..." he mumbled. The concern and disapproving look his crush was sporting lessened slightly, but only slightly.

"But he's usually here?" she asked carefully.

Dipper nodded, frowning in confusion. "Always, half the time I wish he'd just go away though," taking a deep breath he continued with an offkey but otherwise accurate impression of his great uncle "You call that a swing? Put your back into it!"

Hearing Wendy break into a fit of laughs he joined her, glad that his voice cracking hadn't taken away from his attempt at humor.

After a few moments of laughing at the old mans expense, the teen gave a small smile to her partner in crime, her fears laid to rest for the most part. She had been worried that Stan had been leaving Dipper to himself, but she could tell from how he was acting that this was indeed an unusual occurence. Still...

"Just...make sure you aren't alone when you're doing this kind of thing alright?" When the boys cheerful expression gave way to confusion she elaborated. "I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but trust me, you wouldn't _believe_ how much could go wrong, even just using an axe."

When she saw his face change from confused to worried, she remembered just **who** it was she was dealing with. Dipper was a great many things, resourceful, thoughtful, kind, sincere and all around a great friend, but he also tended to take things overboard.

She hadn't been watching him for very long, just a few minutes, but it was obvious that to him this was more than just a chore. She could see it in how he was standing, how much he was putting into each swing. She had been friends with Tambry long enough that she could understand a persons body language just as much as when they were talking, and everything she had seen told her that Dipper wasnt doing this out of compulsion, he _wanted_ to be doing this.

Chopping and splitting wood was an old shoe for her, just as it was to most people that lived in a town whose primary business was logging. The same was true with a general preference for being outdoors.

That was part of why she enjoyed hanging around the twins so much, because they were the complete opposite. Gravity Falls was a very different world from the city they had grown up in. Watching them the first few days after they arrived was like watching a cat that had never been outside before.

Mabel's declaration of 'Yay grass' still had her feeling conflicted though.

Still, she could remember those first few days quite clearly and quite easily. Mabel had spent the entire first day buzzing around the Mystery Shack like a fly around a dumpster, so excited she didn't even know where to begin. Fluttering from window to window, never standing still for longer than a moment, gushing over the trees and the mountains. It was an offhand comment from Wendy herself however that made her realize just what kind of life these kids had become use to.

_"You know, it looks even better when you're actually outside."_

It had been a joke. Just a light tease to poke fun at some kids from the city who went big eyed at the sight of a simple tree. Well, Mabel did at least. Dipper had buried his nose in some books the minute he got off the bus.

Mabel's ecstatic squeal of joy followed by her innocently asking if they were allowed to go play outside however plucked something deep in the ginger's chest. She honestly couldnt remember the last time, if _ever_ she had to ask if she was allowed to outside to do anything. When Stan waved his great niece off with a simple 'sure, whatever, sheesh' Wendy felt that same string in her chest get plucked as she watched the excited and outright giddy sister dragged her far less enthusiastic brother along with her.

She'd asked Soo's to watch the register while she kept an eye on the two, just to be sure they didn't get lost out in the woods or something. Her concerns had been for nothing though as it turned out Mabel was perfectly content to spend the remainder of the day running up and rolling down a hill out behind the Shack while her brother spent the entire time reading.

Just spending those few hours watching them had told her everything she needed to know about the twins. This was probably the first time either of them had even _seen_ woods, let alone a forest. While Mabel had taken to the outdoors quickly, her brother had been another story.

For the entire first week, he would only go outside if he was forced to. Either by Stan or his sister dragging him, Dipper had been perfectly content to stay in the Shack and read from the worn and torn book he'd been carrying around since that first day. The very thought of spending that much time indoors made her shudder. She wasnt claustrophobic, but she loved being outside and couldn't fathom how a person could just spend hour after hour, day after day inside.

After that first week however, she noticed a change in him. He still prefered to be inside, and it still took an outside source to prod him, but it wasn't anywhere close to the what it had been, if anything he was looking for excuses to leave the Shack. From there, little by little she had seen him grow more and more comfortable with being outside, to the point where it was more common to see him outside reading than inside the Shack reading.

But today had been the first time she had seen him doing anything 'outdoorsy' aside from whatever trouble he and his sister got into. It had been a welcome sight and a far cry from just watching him reading or watching tv.

It had taken a month to get him to enjoy and want to be outside, she didn't want to undo that by making him afraid of getting hurt in some freak accident.

Dropping into the most casual and laid back act she could, she gave what she hoped was a distracting chuckle. "I was just warning you to be careful dork, I didn't mean to scare you."

Seeing his cheeks turn red in embarrassment, she knew she had him where she wanted him.

"You didn't scare me."

The statement was simple, but its defiance was exactly the opening she needed.

"Then why are you looking at that axe like it's a diamond back shaking its rattle at you?"

When his attention shifted to the axe, only to stare at it with obvious concern, she knew that she would need to do something a little more to ease his mind. Eyeing the axe, she knew exactly what she could do.

Unbuttoning and removing her green plaid shirt, she dropped it on her young friend as she walked past him to the stump he had been working at.

"W-wendy! What are you-"

"Hang onto that for me would ya? I don't want to get it dirty," she called back as she stepped up to inspect the axe he had been using. It was old, worn, but still in pretty good shape. And judging by how deep it had been driven into the stump she could tell it was very sharp.

"You buried that thing in pretty deep kid, not bad for an amature." Hearing him fumble for a reply she decided it was time to do what his great uncle hadn't. Just from watching him she could tell that no one had actually showed him how to use an axe, and if it kept him outside doing something, _anything_ other than just reading, she was more than happy to show him herself.

Gripping the axe at its base and just under its head, she stood to its side and looked over her shoulder just to make sure her friend was still a few feet away. Sure enough he was standing right where she left him, awkwardly holding her shirt like it was going to bite him.

"First of all, always make sure anyone around you **knows** you're going to do this before you actually do it. First time I did this I almost knocked my dad out cold because he wasnt paying attention."

Seeing the look of surprise on his face she smirked.

"Now, when you're pulling an axe out like this, you stand to the side, **not** behind it. That way you don't knock yourself stupid if it comes out faster than you thought it would." When he nodded, she smiled and continued.

"You grip it right here under the neck with your writing hand, and here at the mid-shaft with your other hand," she explained as he watched her closely. It was strange, but despite having three younger brothers, this was probably the only thing she _hadn't_ taught them how to do. Everything else had fallen to her as her responsibility, but anything relating to making trees fall had been her father's territory. She just hoped that she didn't do too bad with her first student.

She had thought once or twice about what she would do in the future if she ever did have kids of her own, if she would teach them the family legacy or just let her father do it. This she figured would be a decent trial run.

"then you put your foot like this, and push with your leg. **Never** pull with your back," she finished by showing him and pulling the axe free from the stump just a few inches. She had seen guys showing off before, pulling a half buried axe from a tree or stump like it was the Sword in the Stone. She had also seen how they pulled their backs out, knocked themselves or someone around them out cold. It had been a lesson her father drove into her and her brothers very well. Mess up your back, and you're out of a job. Simple as that.

Standing to her full height, she let the axe shaft slide down to the ground though maintained her grip on the neck.

"Alright, now the most important thing you always want to keep in mind when you're using one of these," she held up the axe in her hand as she spoke "is your swing radius. You don't want _anything_ to be in that circle, at all," flipping her hand over she let the axe head slid to the ground and gripped it firmly at its base before lifting her arm and holding it out streight in front of her.

Moving slowly in a circle, holding the axe out from her body, she watched as Dipper's eyes followed her until she came to a stop.

"You probably don't need to worry about this since you're just splitting wood and not chopping down anything, but its still important to remember, especially if there are other people close by. You don't want anything to be inside this circle, around you or above you okay? You don't want to swing back and clock someone or hit a tree limb when you're bringing it down."

When he simply nodded, still taking in everything she said, she decided to move to the next part, how to hold an axe properly.

* * *

><p>For Dipper, this was a completely unexpected but very welcome change to his afternoon. Sure, at fist he had stumbled and fumbled like he always did around Wendy, and he'd nearly had a heart attack when she dropped her plaid shirt on him, but once she went into this 'teaching mode' and he could reply with nods rather than words, everything improved. For one he was spending time with his crush, always a plus in his book. Second, because she was doing all the talking, and he was just listening to her, he wasnt making himself look like an idiot, another plus in his book.<p>

The biggest surprise though had been just how much she was teaching him. He knew her father was a lumberjack, so he didn't think it was the least bit odd that she would know about it. He simply had no idea how much of an exact science something as simple as cutting wood actually was. He'd always thought you just held the axe and swung it at what you want to chop. While technically that was true, there were many important details that went along with it.

How a person was suppose to stand when splitting blocks was different than how a person stood to cut a log. Just like how you had to stand a completely different way to chop down a tree. Even how you _held_ the axe changed depending on any number of things. If you were left-handed or right-handed, how tall you were, how strong you were, what kind of axe you were using, the list went on and on.

As he observed her and absorbed what she was telling him, he could even see the breakdown of the technique into raw numbers. Watching Wendy give a slow demonstration swing, he could see in his mind a chalk board with a stick figure swinging in a half circle, notations of speed and force coupled with distance to give a rough estimate of cutting power.

What had been even more surprising was when she told him how it was how her family had taught their kids for generations, going back to when Gravity Falls was first founded. This wasnt some application of modern mathematics to an ancient profession, this was most likely the profession that _developed_ modern mathematics. People would always find the most efficient way to do anything, he knew that. He also knew that not everyone was the size of Manly Dan. So it shouldnt have surprised him as much as it did to learn that there were ways for people smaller and weaker to still perform the same tasks as those who were much larger and much stronger.

At first it stung him a little, but then he remembered that this was something people had been doing for thousands of years, and Wendy was simply showing him the best way to do something she happened to know a great deal about. It wasnt her teasing him or poking fun at him, not like his gym teachers did at least. There was a certain fire in her eyes as she spoke, her smile was warmer, and her over all demeanor was active, awake, _alive_. He was seeing a side to Wendy he hadn't since arriving and it was a very surprising one.

Now standing about ten feet in front of her, he watched as she set a block down just as he had been doing since he had started, then getting to stance she showed him she gave one slow practice swing before pulling back and letting loose with a sharp swift swing.

He barely even saw it move. In the time that it took him to blink, the block was split in half and Wendy had returned to her previous stance.

"Woah"

For a moment he could have sworn he saw her cheeks turn red, but if they had been it was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

"See? Like I told you, nothing to it once you know what you're doing," she offered with a smirk.

Several moments of silence passed until Dipper realized that she was waiting for him to say something. Nervous, but still trying his best, the boy gave an uneasy grimace.

"Still...I don't know, I mean, if it's dangerous..."

When he saw her expression switch to a frown he grew worried, and were he not already panicking he would have started to do so.

"Look, Dipper, I don't want you to be afraid of this, I just wanted to make sure you respected it," holding up the axe she continued, "This is a tool, not a toy. If you use it the way you're suppose to, you shouldnt have anything to worry about, aside from accidents. It's the same as using a hammer."

"Hammer's dont chop off toes."

Wendy felt something inside of her sink at that comment, and judging by her friends changing demeanor she guessed that it had shown. She didn't know why she told him about that particular accident. All she wanted to do was make sure he didn't do something stupid and get himself hurt, she didn't want to scare him off from something he had enjoyed doing.

"I'm not going say it's not dangerous, but that doesn't mean you need to be afraid Dipper. If you avoid something just because it _can_ be dangerous or it _might_ hurt you, you'll miss out on a lot of things in life." Though it hadn't been intentional at the time, she cringed when she remembered his crush on her. She still wasnt a hundred percent sure what she was going to say if and when he worked up the courage to tell her. She didn't want to hurt him, but at the same time...

Shaking her head she knew she had to give him something specific. Dipper was someone who lived and thrived on details and specifics. Fortunately it didn't take her long to come up with something to back up her statement.

"I know you're only twelve, and it might seem like a long time from now, but what are you going to do when you turn sixteen and your sister is getting her learners? Driving is a lot more dangerous than chopping wood, are you just going to spend the rest of your life walking?"

It was working, she could see him thinking over what she said, he just needed a little more to get there.

"Tell you what, I'll show you, and I'll prove that you don't need to worry about it okay?"

Without waiting to see his response she grabbed another block of wood from the row and set it on the stump, looked up to make sure he was still a safe distance, and brought the axe down, splitting the block in half. Without missing a beat she pulled down another block, set it in place, and brought the axe down to split it in half like the one before it.

Three times, four times, five times, six times, each and every time she repeated the same process. Giving him a quick glance to make sure he wasnt too close, split the block, grabbed another, and repeated the process again.

As for Dipper, he was floored by the display before him. He knew that Wendy was a lot stronger than him or his sister, but he'd always just chalked it up to her being older than him, taller than him. Watching her tear into the stack of wood like a starving beaver quickly banished that thought. Wendy might have been laid back and outright lazy when she was working at the Mystery Shack, but the smooth flow of her motions were almost rhythmic, like watching Mabel when she was crocheting one of her sweaters, it looked easy, simple, like it took no effort at all.

His difficulty when just trying to split a single block a few weeks back however told him otherwise, especially in light of her earlier explanation and teaching him. This was something she had a lot of practice doing. He watched her as in minutes she worked through the stack that he had hopped to finish by some time tonight, repeating the same pattern each time.

Part of him was worried that she might hurt herself, while another part felt a prickly of jealousy for how easily she was doing something he struggled with, but still there was another part of him that wasnt sure what to think.

It was strange, similar to how he felt whenever he was around her, a mix of nervous and embarrassment, but there was something else in there with it, something he wasnt sure how to explain.

"Hey hey hey! What's going on out here!"

Both teen and tween nearly jumped out of their skin at the loud outcry from the back porch of the Shack. Looking up, the duo saw the one and only 'Man of Mystery' himself making his way towards them in his usual 'casual wear', rolled up newspaper in one hand and a scowl in place.

"I'm not paying you for work someone else does kid."

"Grunkle Stan! She wasnt, it wasnt-"

"Oh please, you think I was born yesterday? If we were anywhere near the Mexican border I'd be doing the same thing, but if I can't get away with it, I'm sure not letting you. I don't pay people to sit around and do nothing," pausing when he saw Wendy's smirk, he corrected himself, "I don't pay _men_ to stand around and do nothing."

"Mister Pines, I was just showing him-"

"How you can eat through a pile of wood like a woodchuck, I know, I was watching for five minutes."

Before either of the two could say another word, Stan gripped the axe in Wendy's hand, which she quickly released.

"Now, you," pointing the axe head towards Wendy "You have your check, I'm not paying you over time or weekend time. You," pointing the axe head towards Dipper, "are going to do two stacks before you come inside if you want your allowance this week."

"Two?! He's just a-"

"Kid that needs to learn responsibility and the meaning of a days earned wage." Flipping the axe around and holding the handle towards his great-nephew with narrowed eyes he spoke. "Nothing in life is free, and if you don't work for something you have no claim to it."

Head down and shoulders slumped, Dipper took the axe and trudged his way back over to the stump while Stan crossed his arms and watched impassively.

Once Dipper was out of earshot Wendy turned to the man and gave him a rather heated glare. One that had absolutely no effect on the aged con artist.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on him? He's twelve, he's on summer vacation for crying out loud," she hissed at her boss.

As much as Wendy towered over her young friend, Stan returned to her in spades. Despite being nowhere near her fathers size however he was just as intimidating when he wanted to be. There was just something about him that set her on edge at times, especially when his temper showed.

Turning to leave, his reply was short as it was direct. "That's exactly _why_ I'm being hard on him."

As he made his way to the Shack, Stan called out to the duo of trouble makers, informing Dipper that he was going to sit and watch him just to make sure he didn't try to 'hire any scabs to do the work for him again' as he put it.

Looking between the two Pines, Wendy felt something in her gut stirring, anger and resentment calling out to her inner rule breaker. She was sure that whatever spark of enjoyment her young friend had was long dead and gone, and with it any hope of him enjoying the same world his sister had taken to.

Watching as Dipper, head down, split the first block, exactly the same way he did when she watched him earlier, felt that same string getting pulled as she had before. Looking back to her boss, who true to his word was watching them like a hawk, she was about to leave when something crossed her mind.

Taking her plaid shirt from the ground where it had been dropped and tying it around her waist, she marched over to her friend with a determined stride.

* * *

><p>Without looking up, Dipper watched as the block split in half, the two pieces falling to either side. He was about to reach for another block when one entered his vision and was set down on the stump for him. Glancing up to see Wendy wearing a familiar smirk, he looked back up towards the porch where his great-uncle was watching them closely.<p>

"Wendy!"

"I thought I told you how you were supposed to hold that thing Dipper." Her friend blinked in confusion, and nearly jumped when she grabbed his hands with her own, sliding them into a proper grip like she had showed him earlier. "Remember, you don't use your back, you use your arms, swing with your shoulders." Moving around behind him she felt him stiffen as she corrected his posture.

"Relax, you don't want to pull something when you swing, and stop tensing up so much."

Trying and trying to find an excuse, Dipper mentally jumped for joy when he caught sight of Stan watching them.

"B-but Grunkle Stan, he-"

"Isn't going to do anything as long as _you're_ the one doing the work. Just think of me as your...coach."

For a moment the tween was silent, weighing out her words and seeing the angle she was working at. Stan was angry because he thought she was doing his chores for him, but as long as he was the one doing the actual work?

Swallowing the lump in his throat and offering a shy smile, Dipper finally managed a reply.

"I'd rather not, I hate gym class."

Wendy took a moment to process what he had said before flashing him a smile in return followed by a chuckle. Taking a step away and moving back in front of him, standing directly between him and his great uncle (on purpose he was sure) she once again reminded him of what she had said earlier, how he was supposed to stand and how he needed to hold the axe, even going through a few practice swings with him just to make sure he had the motions right.

It took him a few tries to get it down, and he was still far from Wendy's fluid pattern, but he didn't mind one bit. Swinging, splitting, grabbing the next piece, setting it down, and the most important part as she had said, looking up to make sure anyone else nearby was a safe distance.

Splitting wood was far from Dipper's favorite thing in the world. But knowing at least for today, that before each swing when he would look up, Wendy was there with him, smiling, more than made up for it.

* * *

><p>Turning the page of his newspaper, Stan glanced up to watch Dipper for a moment before turning his attention back to the paper.<p>

Just because he wore glasses, used a hearing aid and ran a tourist trap for a living didn't mean he was blind, deaf or dumb. He remembered the way his great-nephew reacted to the Corduroy girl the day he got off the bus. He saw how he spent the entire first week watching her from behind that old book he now knew to be the Third Journal, before taking to spending days away from the shop to avoid her. He heard the boys quite mutterings and asides when he thought no one was listening or that they couldn't hear him. And he knew that she was already aware of his growing feelings for her.

Whatever happened happened, but that didn't mean he wouldn't give the boy as much of a fighting chance as he could. He wasn't going to lie about his odds, especially not now. In a few years? Maybe. He meant what he said before, 'Nothing in life is free, and if you don't work for something you have no claim to it.' He wasn't going to help Dipper cheat and win her over. But at the same time he sure as hell wasn't going to let someone else cheat and get her. It's why he stepped in to help when it turned out her boyfriend at the time really _was_ trying to use subliminal messages on her.

After finishing each page he would glance up to check on them before returning to his paper. When evening came and the sun began to set, having finally finished his paper he looked up to see Dipper had finished splitting the wood and was now stacking it, just like he had told him to. And sure enough, following him as he went about though not physically helping was his red-haired crush.

Shaking his head, Stan inwardly chuckled at how even after all this time the kid never figured out why he had him splitting wood during the middle of the summer.

* * *

><p>And that ends my first attempt at the Gravity Falls series lol, not sure how it was, its been years since I actually wrote anything. Work and real life just love to throw things your way. Anyways, my friend and Editor Kenju actually got me into the series not too long ago. I was...skeptical, from how he described it I just couldn't believe <em>Disney<em> would make something as good as he made it out to be. But after watching an episode, I got pulled into it. I was amazed at just how deep and how rich Alex has made Gravity Falls, to the point that anything could be on purpose or it could be a coincidence.

That's where this story came from, after watching the entire first season in a single night, I picked up on a few things that others either didn't notice or just hand waved. Seriously, the boy has a crush on a girl from a family of lumberjacks, and of all things Stan could do to 'toughen him up' he has him splitting wood? Kinda obvious to me.

I also must say that I'm a surprised and disappointed with the fan base in regards to the whole Dipper/Wendy thing. Nobody minds Ferb/Vanessa from Phineas and Ferb, or Anakin and Padmé from Star Wars, and both parings having a MUCH greater age gap than two years and odd months. Alex Hirsch has worked HARD to make this show, and given the fact that he's only 29, I would say he's done very well. Give the guy some credit and let him write his story the way he wants to write it. If you don't like it, well that's what sites like this are for right?

Now that I've said my peace, I'll finish with this. I don't know if or when I might be able to write more. For this series or any other for that matter. But your reviews and comments are always appreciated and always welcome. I do try (but not always succeed) in replying to them. I might continue this as a one-shot series or just do other stories, depends on what people think.


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